56 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN | CLASS NOTES second master’s in sustainability management from Columbia University. Mikey earned a master’s in computer science from USC. Currently, I am deputy director at NYC’s Division of Energy Management, where I oversee decarbonization efforts at NYC’s public infrastructure (the largest real estate portfolio in the U.S.). The work is rewarding, important and impactful. Mikey is currently a founding engineer at Markups. ai, which leverages AI to perform streamlined contract negotiations at rapid speeds. When we aren’t working, we love to travel, play tennis and hang out at the beach! “We have been living in NYC for six years, all on the Upper West Side, but are planning to settle down soon just outside the city.” I am just so excited for Lizzy and Mikey! In personal news, I started a new role in June as the VP of public affairs operations at Fells Group, a public advocacy firm in Baltimore. I also was elected in May to the role of committee person to represent my neighborhood in the Democratic party in Philly, and am looking forward to helping drive voter turnout and represent a millennial voice in the city party. Last December, I was able to take time to do a solo international trip—my first— going to Christmas markets and otherwise exploring Paris, Strasbourg, Berlin and Vienna. I look forward to seeing classmates back on campus in the fall for Lehigh-Lafayette! ’16 Brendan McCullagh, brendan.p.mc cullagh@gmail.com ’17 Robert Hillman, robert.j.hillman1@ gmail.com ’18 Megan Olivola, meolivola@gmail. com; Dana Pierce, dpierce1011@gmail.com ’19 Alexis Parsells, lex.parsells@ gmail.com and Claudia Cohen, claudiaco hen10@gmail.com David Pochapin graduated with a degree in finance and marketing. He gained national recognition for his role in helping transform the fan experience for the Long Island University men’s basketball program. What began as a casual effort, attending games with friends, evolved into a highly visible and influential fan movement. Recognizing an opportunity to build energy around an under-attended program, David and his peers created a consistent, high-energy courtside presence that materially elevated the team’s home atmosphere. This effort led to the creation of the now widely recognized “FINS UP” tradition, a coordinated fan moment during free throws that became synonymous with the program’s identity. After going viral across social media, the movement received national coverage, including features on ESPN and other major media platforms. The surge in visibility coincided with a historic season for LIU, significantly expanding the program’s reach and engagement. As a result of their impact, David and his peers developed direct relationships with university leadership and were invited to contribute insights on fan engagement, branding and game-day experience. What began as a grassroots initiative has since become a standout example of how community-driven enthusiasm and consistency can meaningfully influence a collegiate program. David is based in New York City, where he works at PitchBook, leading business development efforts across sales, partnerships and strategic growth initiatives. Alongside his professional career, David has built a strong track record as an operator and entrepreneur. During the pandemic, he co-created a Wordle-style mobile app, PuzzWord, with his brother. The app rapidly gained traction and was acquired. He is currently developing an early-stage medical device alongside his family, working in collaboration with Lehigh’s consulting group on strategy, research and goto-market positioning. David is recently engaged to Hana Schwartz, who is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in epidemiology at New York University. In his free time, David enjoys following college basketball, playing padel and spending time with friends and family. ’20 Evan Choy, egc320@alum. lehigh.edu Hi, Class of 2020! I hope all of you are having a great summer full of travel and good weather. With the summer vibes still high, I’m happy to share some news from our classmates: Emma Hillman and Dan Fay are getting married in August in the Lehigh Valley. In sharing the news, Emma says that “Dan proposed on the Memorial Drive walkway near where we first met.” The duo both are engineers working in renewable energy. Not too far from their days on the Frisbee team together, Emma and Dan spend time playing volleyball and biking around their home in Arlington, Va. In catching up, Emma also recollected her experience in the Women Engineers PreLUsion Experience. She liked her time at Lehigh so much, she even stayed for her master’s in mechanical engineering after the IDEAS program. Holly Rubloff also shares she has joined Deloitte Consulting as a strategy senior consultant in New York. Holly was on the Frisbee team, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, and part of the Global Citizenship Program, and she served as a tutor in the Community Service Office. She also liked her time so much (seeing a trend?) that she stayed for a master’s in management after earning her bachelor’s in international relations and French. After graduating, Holly’s been traveling the globe—working in both Portland, Ore., and Copenhagen, Denmark. After three years of living abroad, Holly has finally returned to the U.S., where she is bringing back the Danish practice of hygge and leaving behind the frequent practice of swimming locally— the Hudson is not quite as clean as the Øresund! Keep the good news coming, folks! A separate and special shout-out to Aisha Abdulkarimu for being recognized in the Young Alumni Council’s 10 Under 10 program! Catch y’all in the fall! ’21 Skyler McCabe, skylermccabe1@ gmail.com and Eve Freed, evefreed1@gmail.com ’22 Clare Fonstein, clf222@alum. lehigh.edu; Zoё Madsen, madsen.zoe@ gmail.com Hi, Class of 2022! An update from your columnists: both Clare and Zoё will be writing the column going forward, and we are excited to share what some of our peers have been doing. For the past few years, Josh Felgoise has gone all in on his podcast, “Guyset.” The podcast offers advice for young men, covering topics ranging from what to wear, to mental health, to dating. In each episode, Josh explores a different subject. He also regularly answers questions listeners submit or brings on guests. Josh said the idea for the podcast came while he was at Lehigh taking an entrepreneurship class. He said his professors, Josh Ehrig and Andreea Kiss, provided instrumental support. “Guyset” launched in 2023, and before focusing on it fulltime, Josh worked in content marketing and brand partnerships. He said building something without a clear roadmap can be challenging, but is rewarding. Some highlights for Josh include interviewing a Broadway performer playing Fiyero backstage, as well as reaching 100 episodes. Looking ahead, Josh is working on building out a website, a blog and a second podcast titled “If You’re Going on a Date This Week.” Katie McNulty, who oversees all women’s sports at Mon-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0OTQ5OA==